Clothes hanger attachment



y 24, 1955 R. A. M KENZIE 2,709,026

CLOTHES HANGER ATTACHMENT Filed Jan. 9, 1953 I INVENTOR. Boasti- A. MALCEHZIE A-r To an 5X5 United States Patent CLOTHES HANGER ATTACHNIENT Robert A. MacKenzie, Healdsburg, Calif.

Application January 9,1953, Serial No. 330,497

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-88) This invention relates to an attachment for a conventional garment hanger of the steel wire type. More particularly, the invention has reference to an attachment which, when connected to a hanger of the character referred to, will be effective to extend the length of the coat support arms thereof, and/or vary the angularity of said arms.

One important object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger attachment as stated that can be applied to a conventional hanger without requiring modification or redesign of said hanger.

Another object is to provide a garment hanger attachment that can be applied to or removed from the hanger with maximum speed and facility.

Another object is to provide a garment hanger attachment that will be so formed as to permit its being collapsed against an associated garment hanger arm, into a position in which it will occupy a minimum amount of space in a traveling bag or the like.

Still another object is to provide an attachment which will be adjustable relative to its associated hanger in such a way as to fit the hanger to the garment supported thereby, regardless of the size or type of garment.

Yet another object is to provide a garment hanger attachment which will be capable of manufacture at low cost, and will be rugged and durable in use.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a garment hanger equipped with my attachment, the dotted lines showing an adjusted position of the attachment;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken substantially on line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

A conventional wire coat or garment hanger includes downwardly diverging coat support arms 12 and a horizontal trousers support bar 14 integral at its ends with the outer ends of the arms 12.

My device has been designated generally at 16, and includes a support plate 18 curved or upwardly bowed transversely thereof throughout its length and formed with side edges 20 that diverge in the direction of the outer end of the plate, seen as the left hand end in Figures 1 and 2. The side edges 20 can be curved in the direction of their lengths, as shown in Figure 3, said edges merging into depending cars 22 at the outer end of the generally tapered plate.

At its inner end, the plate 18 is provided, on its underside, with an arm gripping means 24. Said means, as shown in Figure 5, comprises a pair of clamp members 26 having curved upper ends riveted at 28 to the plate 18, and having depending lower ends 30 adapted to 2,709,026 Patented May 24, 1955 grip the arm 12 releasably. The clamp members are of spring metal material, and are spread by the associated arm 12. Thus, they will frictionally grip between them the arm at any selected location on the arm.

Between the midlengtli location and the outer end of theplate, I provide thereon an adjustable support leg 32, which is shown to its best advantage in Figures 3 and.

4-. This includes a supporting bracket comprising a pair of transversely spaced bracket members of inverted L shape. One of said bracket members has a top portion. 34 integral with a depending circular portion 36. The other bracket member has a top portion 38 integral with a depending locking disc 40. Rivets 41 anchor the top portions fixedly to the support plate 18.

Formed in the locking disc is a circumferential series of teeth 42, said teeth being spaced about a center opening of the disc through which a pivot pin 44 extends.

A rotatable lock disc 46 has a center opening receiving the pivot pin, and rotates on said pin. The disc 46 has circumferentially spaced teeth adapted to alternate with the teeth 42 in selected positions to which the disc 46 is rotated relative to disc 40.

'To yieldably engage the rotatable disc against the stationary disc, a cambered spring washer 47 is used, said washer being carried by the pivot pin between the rotatable disc and the depending portion 36 of the bracket 34.

Integral with the rotatable disc is an elongated, forked leg member having parallel, closely spaced portions 48, 50 straddling the arm 12 and bar 14. The portion 50 is formed, at longitudinally spaced locations thereon, with lugs 52.

The leg member can be swung about the pivot pin axis to selected angular relationships relative to the bar 14. In each position to which it is swung, it will support the plate 18 at a selected elevation and angle to the arm 12.

In use of the device, it is merely slipped over the arm 12 and bar 14. Thereafter, it is adjusted longitudinally of the arm to a selected location, at which it will remain by frictional engagement of the clamp. means with arm 12. Portions 48 and 50 may also be springably tensioned to remain in frictional engagement with the bar 14.

When the device has been adjusted longitudinally of the hanger to a selected location, it can be pivoted at its inner end, at that location at which the arm 12 is gripped by the means 24, so as to be disposed at a selected angle relative to the arm 12, with the bar 14 being disposed below a selected lug 52. Then, the leg member can be swung about its pivot axis represented by the pin 44,

to a selected position, and this will cause the main angle of the plate to the arm 12 to be adjusted minutely. When the fine adjustment has been made, the discs 40, 46 are engaged against rotation relative to one another to hold the leg member in the selected position to which it is swung.

It will thus be seen that the device can be attached to a thoroughly conventional hanger without modification or redesign thereof. When attached to its associated hanger, it will be usable to adjust the arms 12 to selected lengths, to adapt the hanger for the support of garments of different sizes and Widths. Then, the device is usable to dispose the coat support portions of the hanger at selected inclinations, thus to adapt the hanger to the particular garment supported thereby, whether it be a dress, suit, coat, blouse, outer coat, or some other type of garment. In each instance, the garment will be properly supported, and will not be stretched, twisted, or caused to sag.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment hanger attachment comprising a plate adapted to be disposed above a coat support arm of a hanger, means on the underside of said plate adjacent one end for connecting said plate to the arm for adjusting the plate to selected positions longitudinally of the arm and for disposing the plate at selected angles relative to the arm, means movably connected to the underside of said plate adjacent to and spaced from the other end thereof and adapted to engage a portion of a trousers support bar of said hanger in each position to which the plate is adjusted for releasably holding the plate in the selected position of adjustment thereof, said latter means including a leg member having one end pivotally connected to the underside of said plate adjacent to and spaced from the other end for swingable adjustment to selected angles relative to the plate and to the arm, and a pair of cooperating locking discs carried by the leg member and plate respectively for holding the leg member in each position to which it is swung, the other end of said leg member being adapted to engage a portion of the trousers support bar of said hanger.

2. A garment hanger attachment comprising a plate adapted to be disposed above a coat support arm of a hanger, means on the underside of said plate adjacent one end for connecting said plate to the arm for adjusting the plate to selected positions longitudinally of the arm and for disposing the plate at selected angles relative to the arm, a stationary locking disc disposed on the underside of said plate adjacent to and spaced from the other end thereof and carried by said plate, a rotatable locking disc mounted in face to face contact with the stationary disc, said rotatable disc and stationary disc being adapted for interengagement in selected positions to which the rotatable disc is shifted, a leg member carried by the rotatable disc and swingable to selected positions relative to the arm of said hanger, and a plurality of lugs spaced longitudinally of the leg member and selectively engageable with the trousers support arm of said hanger.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,436,314 Lesavoy Feb. 17, 1948 2,596,576 MacSpadden May 13, 1952 2,601,442 Mallory June 24, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 465,253 Canada June 22, 1949 

